


Electric Blue Light Orchestra

by Idk_how_but_you_found_me



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Wheatleys an idiot but we love him anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 08:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19314280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idk_how_but_you_found_me/pseuds/Idk_how_but_you_found_me
Summary: If you have read blue sky then you know what's up. This has been written for dear friends of mine. You know who you are.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Blue Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/492139) by Waffles. 



> Enjoy a work that was long over due

Blue sky. The story of two people reuniting. Right?  
Well. This time is different. Wheatley is rescued by Chell and an unlikely friend-as well as an old coworker of his, Virgil. This, dear reader, is the story of a group of friends who may find themselves to be something more. Family.

This story is hard to write. Not knowing where to start. From wheatleys power hungry antics, to Chell and Imani rescuing him. And imani and virgil reuniting. It's been a journey for them all. Living in eaden with AI bodies and trying to learn about the humans. They've been through it all together. But will it ever truly end for this group? They've known each other for so long. They've had each others backs for forever. One day it might just end.

This is where we begin. On a dusty road at the crack of dawn. Virgil and Wheatley had been taking a long walk together. Mending their broken relationship. Things had been rocky ever since he nearly destroyed Aperture. They talked about all sorts of things. From getting used to their human lives to building new technologies for this world to their respective human companions. Ah yes. They were one thing that the two could agree on. Imani and Chell were so strong. So admirable. If you didnt know these two nerds better you'd think they'd have a massive crush on them. But no. Wheatley couldn't even imagine that now. He had ruined everything more times than he cared to admit, it wasn't likely for him to get into any relationship. And as for virgil, well, he was scared. He adored imani and her spunky creative ways. But he knew what happened to humans. They died. And he was a robot. He didnt want to see imani die. Not ever. So, the two were in a bit of a rough place.

The girls however, were mostly oblivious to their counterparts ways. Chell had gotten up around the time the two were walking back, baking cinnamon rolls for imani. She would be awake shortly. In the back of her mind, Chell wondered what the two could be possibly doing up so late. It was odd. But before she could dwell on this any longer, imani had woken up and trotted downstairs. Giving a stretch and a yawn as a good morning. Chell gave her a slight smile,and set a plate down for her, as to say 'breakfast will be up soon.'  
Imani got the message. After 4 years of living with the mostly silent woman, imani knew how to read her. "Thanks Chell." She said, sitting down at the table.

That's when the boys walked in, quieting their speach and stopping their thoughts from dwelling any longer.  
"Hey Virgil! Wheatley." Imani greeted the two as they walked in. Virgil smiling and going to sit at the table next to her while Wheatley stood awkwardly in the kitchen, watching Chell bake with precise movements.  
"Where did you two go last night?" Imani asked as Chell set down a roll in front of her. "Oh, you know, around." Virgil waved his hand a bit, giving a small smile. "We saw Garrett! He wants us to stop by this afternoon."  
At this, wheatley perked up. "Yeah- he says Virg. N'him will work on the more ah, handy work and I'll be doing a bit of the ah, technical stuff." Wheatley wiggled his fingers as he spoke. "Going to see if we can get a signal I think he said..." Wheatley trailed off. "Yeah, yeah. Something about ah... me being compatable. I dont know all about that but we'll see" he said optimistically.  
Chell nodded. "Well. You seem to have a full day then."  
Wheatley perked up more when she spoke. "Uh- yup! Yep! We do! Going to be helping a lot of people! Love it really, doing something for such an... accepting community-" he began to ramble, Imani rolling her eyes good naturedly.  
"I have shopping to do." Chell announced, and imani nodded. "Yeah- out of yeast and coffee." She agreed.  
"Well! Y-you can er-" wheatley was cut off.  
"You ladies have a girls day then!" Virgil offered. "We can meet back by foxglove in the evening." He nodded, and the rest of the group began to as well.  
"Bloody brilliant there virg. Can always count on you, mr... mr... idea man. Yeah." Wheatley said, patting him on the shoulder.


	2. To Garrett's house we go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Into the thick of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short one I'm sorry-

Noon was upon them soon enough. The group parting ways with a wave goodbye.  
Wheatley and Virgil going their way to Garrett's and Chell and Imani on their way to Aarons. 

"Ah. Thanks for saving me back there Virg. Bit of a ah... what's the word..." Wheatley trailed off. "Brain fart?" Virgil suggested, and he made a face at that. He hated that- Brain fart- it sounded so... gross to him. "Yeah. Yeah. I guess so." He considered this as they walked down the old, rough road. "How do you think Garrett'll be doing today? Going to put us through the wringer with his ah... technical tests-?" Wheatley asked his friend, To which, Virgil shook his head. "No. No. With us the work wont be too bad. We're fairly well off." Virgil said- flexing his arm muscles. Wheatley was a bit jealous of those- while he was fairly taller than virgil- by... a lot really, he lacked the muscles. Not that Virgil was jacked or anything, wheatley just wasn't the most muscly guy. He wondered why they made them look like they did. With Virgil shorter and more well off in strength and Wheatley tall and lanky. Seemed a bit unfair to him. But he didnt get to think about this for much longer. They arrived at Ottens field quicker than Wheatley had thought- or maybe he had just been thinking for a while.

The two stood in the field, looking up at Foxglove- Virgil staring more admiringly, loving the machine already in the short time he had known her. Foxglove was like a sister to him now. They had been working with Garrett since they arrived. Well... Virgil more than Wheatley. Wheatley mostly just regailed them with stories and semi-helpful commentary. Virgil helped with minor repairs, welding peices of metal back onto her and making sure everything was secure and connected. He really loved science. 

"Ey! Afternoon boys!" Garrett greeted them, walking into the field with all of his latest equipment. "Yall ready to get to work?" He asked with a grin.  
"Yeah!" Virgil nodded, giving a returning grin. "Ready to help in any way I can, Garr." Wheatley said sheepishly.  
Garrett kept a smile on his face,and waved them over. "Alright. Virg, you and I are gonna do some more wiring. Wheatley, I want you to fire up my computer there and make sure the program for Foxglove is up and running. Then we can plug it on in." Garrett ordered. "Aye Aye Captain!" Wheatley gave a salute and the boys got to work. 

Virgil and Garrett connected and untangled wires up and down foxglove from antenna to dish and back again. Wheatley took a bit to actually find out how to turn the computer on and find what Garrett was talking about, but he did it. Both finishing around the same time. "Okay- we're gonna take a short break for lunch then hook 'er up!" Garrett said excitedly as he jumped down a short distance from one of the rungs and over to his things.

"So.. ah... what do make of it Virg? What's the verdict?" Wheatley asked,standing next to him and looking up at the structure. "Well... she is making good progress... I dont know if we will get a signal, but pairing with Garrett's programming..." Virgil trailed off, trying to collect his thoughts. "If it doesnt work today it will soon. I can feel it." He said with a sense of determination. Wheatley looked to him and had to smile. He admired Virgils determination and know how. Sometimes he wished he were half as smart and dedicated as him. But If he thought about that for too long he was sure to end up hating himself. So he looked away. "Yeah." Wheatley said wistfully. "...yeah."


	3. Girls Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chell and Imani day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm cranking out chapters as fast as I can because I know I will lose all motivation to write anything soon enough please forgive me

Chell and Imani made their way down the worn old road into town. Enjoying the warm summer breeze and the sound of children already out and about, playing, laughing. The birds chirping and complimenting the sounds.  
"Hey- maybe we could get marshmallows!" Imani suggested, looking to Chell, who glanced at her in question. "Well,we're gonna see the progress on foxglove this evening. So, it could be like a celebration for how far they've come." She explained. Chell liked the idea of giving the boys a bit of a reward- even if they didnt eat, it was a sweet idea. She nodded and smiled a little,approving of the plan. "Nice!" Imani grinned, happy that her idea got off the ground. "Hey, them being made of light, maybe they could get hot enough for us to roast marshmallows." She joked, both of the girls laughing at the thought of virgil and Wheatley attempting- and likely failing- at cooking a marshmallow. 

Soon, the girls reached Aaron general store, imani looking around first. "I'll find the marshmallows. You get what you need, okay?" She said, and Chell nodded in agreement. It was a little unusual that she would run out of her delivered ingredients like this. But she supposed that maybe it was because she had tried to teach Wheatley to cook one day- ending up with a batch of hard as rock bread- too bad to sell and wasting ingredients. 

"Ah, afternoon Chell." Aaron said, finally coming around from the back. "What can I do ya for?" He asked. "Hey Aaron," Chell greeted him. "I need more yeast and flower." She told him, and Aaron made a face. "So soon? I gave ya stuff just last week." He said, but began packing up things for her anyway. Chell nodded. "Wheatley tried baking." Aaron made a face. He had only been in the town for maybe half a month and he knew that boy wasn't too good at much. "Ah. I gotcha." He put her things on the counter and glanced around. "Where is that boy anyway? He get away from ya?" He asked jokingly. Chell shook her head. "With Virgil and Garrett." Aaron nodded. "Ah." That's when Imani bounded up to the counter with marshmallows and coffee. Aaron gave her a smile. "Howdy there Miss Imani." He said, putting her things next to Chells to ring them up. "Heyya Aaron!" Imani greeted him back. These two girls were like family to him. He cared a lot about them.

"Marshmallows?" Aaron questioned, holding up the bag. Imani nodded. "Yup. For Virgil and Wheatley. Congratulating them on all the work they've done." She answered.   
"Well that's mighty sweet of you two." Aaron said, bagging everything up and handing things to Chell. "You two let me know If y'need anything more." He said. "Thank you, Aaron." Chell said sincerely, walking out with Imani- the other girl giving him a wave goodbye. 

"So, back home to put that stuff away." Imani said, dusting her hands off, and helping Chell carry everything. Chell looked up at the sky, seeing about an hour had past. They had time to kill. "We could stop by Rommies." She offered. Chell knew how much imani and her boys got along. Rommies twin boys, James and Max saw Imani like a sister- or maybe even an aunt. Point was, they were close. And Duke loved her too. Imani grinned a bit. "Yeah?"   
Chell nodded. "Mmm. I think her boys have missed you." She said, smiling a bit. She was happy to have imani around, it felt like she had a deeper connection to the town and it's people. Like they were all one big family. "Aw. Well I'll make sure to bring a tennis ball for Duke. I'm sure him and the boys will like that." Imani joked as they reached the house. Chell chuckled and unlocked the door.


	4. Girls day part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short I'm sorry I'm saving the long one for the next chapter

The girls had had a fun rest of their day. Imani played with Duke and the boys while Chell and Rommie caught up. Rommie doing most of the talking as usual, but no body really minded. When the sun began to set is when the two thought to finally wrap things up for the day, and say their goodbyes. Giving hugs and promises to visit once again as they made their way back to Chells house and bakery.

"Well... today sure has been eventful." Imani said, Chell responding with a nod. "I can't wait to see what progress the boys made on foxglove," she began before speaking again. "Theyve been spending a lot of time there recently." She finished before Chell spoke up. "Indeed... I think they're happy to make new friends here." She concluded, and imani nodded in agreement. "Well, they're both pretty.... social, to say the least." She said with a chuckle. "Its hard not to be pulled into at least a conversation with one of them, if not the other." Chell chuckled and nodded her head in agreement.  
It was true, both of them had such dynamic personalities. Awkward or not, it was hard not to be drawn to them in some way. Be it curiosity or something more. Like the hope for friendship or maybe even companionship. But before her thoughts wandered too much, she shook her head, now entering the house with Imani.

"Okay, I'll grab the marshmallows!" Imani announced, doing finger guns at Chell before jogging into the kitchen. Chell took her time, grabbing a bit of an oversized jacket for herself, and a sweater for Imani. It was supposed to get chilly this evening.  
The two girls met back up at the entrance. "Ready?" She asked, and Chell nodded curtly before leading the way out and towards the field.

"Y'know..." Imani began, glancing over to Chell. "At first... I didnt think saving that idiot was going to be a good idea." She admitted honestly- referring to Wheatley of course. "But now?... I'm kinda glad we did. Yeah, hes a handful, but... he also brought back Virgil..." She trailed off. She and Virgil had always been close, almost as long as her and Chell had been. Where Wheatley was Chells counter part, Virgil was hers. "And y'know it hasn't been all bad yet..." she trailed off again before stopping to look at Chell. "What I'm trying to say is thank you. For... convincing me to come back with you."   
Chell gave a small smile, tilting her head to the side. Imani took the next step, hugging Chell. She hesitated for only a moment before giving her a strong hug. It wasn't one full of mushy emotions. Or one of strong love, grief. It was one of sisterly bond and understanding. A strong one. That understood and meant that they would be there for each other no matter what.

After a few minutes, they pulled apart, both smiling a bit before Chell spoke up. "Alright... we're almost there." She said, before leading the rest of the way to Ottons field. A comfortable silence filled the space between the two for a while, watching the sun slowly go down to hide behind the horizon line. It was a pretty sight. They both felt at peace here. Maybe- thought Chell- they should take evening walks more often.


	5. Marshmallows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It deleted all my previous work on this chapter and I want to fucking die. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kill me

The sun was setting on Ottens field and the boys were finishing up their latest progress on foxglove. Wheatley was up on the main platform, sitting with the laptop while Virgil and Garrett did the more physical work. Connecting and welding the last bits and pieces before jumping down back to Wheatley. With all three of them up there it was a bit cramped. But it didnt matter at the moment. "Okay Wheatley, hit it!" Garret called over to him. Wheatley pressed the 'enter' button on the keyboard and the boys held their breath.

 _Zap- crack- boom- woooooo....._  foxglove lit up brilliantly- before losing all power, popping electricity and powering down completely. Virgil and Garrett groaned in defeat. "Damn! We almost had it!" Garrett exclaimed, now shaking his head in defeat, taking the Computer from a startled Wheatley. "Ah- dont worry Gare- we'll fix her, those didnt sound ah... too bad.... well to be honest it did sound a bit bad. Just a tad, but! But, between the three of us, we'll have her fixed up, good as new, in no time." Wheatley said with encouragement. Garret looked to Virgil and Wheatley and smiled, nodding a little. "Thank you boys. It's been great workin' with you both so far. I appreciate it a lot." He said sincerely. "No problem. It's been great working on foxglove!" Virgil said, patting the metal frame work of the tower. "I've missed this... science." He said wistfully. "Bah. You've only been gone half a month, mate." Wheatley reminded him. "And it's still too long!" Virgil retorted. 

Garrett laughed at their back and forth little spat. "Alright, alright..." he broke it up before looking down. "Hey, looks like your girls are here." He teased a little. Virgil looked down. "Our- our wot?" Wheatley sputtered, before looking down. "Oh! They're- I wouldn't say they're our-" Wheatley was cut off.

"Virgil!" Imani called up, grinning a bit and waving to get his attention. Virgil happily waved back. "We'll be right down!" 

The boys made their way down. Virgil was the first, navigating like a pro. The next was Garett and finally Wheatley. Who was trying not to trip over himself and his long limbs.

 

"So! On our way home?" Wheatley asked, looking to the girls. Imani shook her head. "Nope. We've got a bit of a suprise." She said mischievously. "Suprise?" Virgil questioned. "What is it?" He inquired.  
Imani dug around in the bag her and Chell brought and produced a bag of marshmallows. To which, Garrett promptly stole one.  
"Hey!" Imani protested. Garrett chuckled. "Ah. Sorry, I'll get outta your hair. Got stuff to do anyway." He said, waving goodbye. "Nice seein you two! And I'll see you boys on Monday!" He told Virgil and Wheatley. The group called after him, saying goodbyes as he left.

"So... what's that?" Virgil asked, and imani answered. "Marshmallows! Even if you cant exactly... eat. It's more for..." she trailed off but Chell finished her sentence. "Congratulations on a job well done." She said, and imani nodded. A job well done..? Chell thought... Wheatley was doing a good job? Wheatley felt his heart swell with pride- well, his metaphorical one.

"Thank you!" Virgil said, smiling and observing the bag. "...what are we supposed to do with them?" He asked and imani laughed a little, sitting down and patting the space next to her. Virgil took the hint and sat down.

"Well you can roast them... or put them in smoars... but we dont have chocolate-" Wheatley cut her off. "Smoars?" He questioned. "Dont worry about it." Chell said, hushing him for now. Wheatley nodded wisely. Now, Chell sat down, watching imani explain this all to virgil, she noticed Wheatley was still standing. Awkwardly. So she looked up at him, craning her neck and giving him a look. He instantly understood that time. She wanted him to sit. So he did. "How do we roast them?" Virgil asked, examining the sugary treat. "I believe that requires fire?" He asked, and imani nodded before answering. "Well... I had an idea..." she trailed off, blushing just a bit. "Turn off powersave mode." She told virgil.

He blinked. If he did that, he could burn her. "But... that would-" he was cut off. "Dont worry. I know what I'm doing." She told him, and virgil did what she asked. Now glowling more Brilliantly. In a matter of seconds he became hot enough to burn the hair off a human body. At least that's what Glados said. "Okay, now watch." Imani told him, grabbing a skewer from the bag and stabbing a marshmallow through it. "Could you hold out your arm?" She asked gently, and virgil obliged. Holding out his arm for her. Imani hovered the marshmallow over his arm and in a minute it began to melt slightly. Baking. Virgils face lit up. "See?" Imani said, grinning at him. "Amazing!" Virgil said, his smile wide and genuine.

 

Chell and Wheatley watched the two roast marshmallows now. Chell taking one for herself out of the bag and popping it into her mouth. She herself wasn't too big on sweets, but it was a sort of celebration. She handed one to Wheatley. He took it in his hands- just holding it. He couldn't eat it anyway- but decided to keep it instead of refusing it and being rude. Over the course of half an hour imani and virgil had gone through half the bag of marshmallows. Eating, burning, melting and roasting them. They seemed to be having a lot of fun together.

 

Chell looked up at the darkened sky. Even with Virgils constant output of warmth it was still chilly. She was glad she brought those Jackets and sweaters for herself and Imani. Now digging through the bag and taking out her oversized jacket, setting it on her lap before grabbing Imanis sweater. "Imani." Chell said the other girls name to get her attention. Imani looked up and smiled, nodding once. She was thrown the sweater, and quickly put it on. "Thanks," Imani said with a yawn. "This has been fun." Virgil said, the girl nodding in agreement. "Maybe we can do this again?" He asked. "Definitely." Imani said. With Imanis tiredness and the growing cold, virgil looked up. It was very dark and late in the night. He turned powersaving mode back on. He wouldn't be getting any more sunlight until the next day. His body dimming and becoming significantly cooler.

 

Imani now rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and smiling contently. Virgil thought- if robots could blush he would certainly be doing a lot of that right now. But he stayed still and looked down at imani. Chell smiled, watching the two become close. It was cute- she thought. And she was happy for Imani. Wheatley on the other hand, couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. He wanted what he had. The feeling of pride and love. But this was his friend. He had to be happy for him- and not selfish just this once. "You should rest too." Chell snapped Wheatley out of his thoughts. "Hmm? Wot- oh! Yes,right. Sorry..." he said sheepishly, brushing himself off a bit and noticing his marshmallow was in the grass, being swarmed by ants. What a shame. He made a face and subconsciously scooted closer to Chell. And, he didnt notice, but it appeared that Chell had gotten closer at some point as well... perhaps she had gotten cold as the night progressed. Now they sat almost flush against each other.

 

Chell held up her jacket to Wheatley. It took him a moment to realize what she meant. "Hmm? Oh!-ah no you dont have to- I mean I dont think I really do that.. getting cold business like you do. Infact I'm sort of... made of light so I'm quite warm really. So, no I-im good." He stuttered out,assuring her that she didnt have to look out for him in this way. That he was completely fine. But his protesting fell on deaf ears. She wrapped one side of the jacket around Wheatley's shoulders. "H-hey what are you-" and the other around her own. Resting her head against his arm, sleepily. "O-oh. Right. Right. You ah... probably want to keep warm. I'm probably your best bet right?"

 

"Wheatley." Chell interrupted him. "Ah- yes love?" He said, looking down at her. "Please... hush." She told him in a gentle manner. Wheatleys face felt scorching hot. He was sure he might have been malfunctioning. Maybe his head was about to explode! But upon doing a self diagnostic, he concluded this was infact not the case. "Gah- then what the bloody hell is it??" Wheatley whispered to himself. Why did he feel so strangely around Chell? Especially in such close proximity to her? He looked to Virgil, seeing Imani sound asleep, and Virgil playing idly with marshmallows.

 

He looked away now. It must be that. Affection. Maybe even- No. No. Wheatley couldn't think about that.... love. He burned her too many times. There was no way on earth Chell would consider being his life partner. So it was easy for Wheatley to stop his wishful thinking there. He sighed, and decided that it would be best to fall asleep now as well. It would pass the time. And Tomorrow maybe he could ask Garrett about all these... feelings. Take virgil with him too. Yeah. Yeah that sounded like a plan! So, with the next day all planned out, he began to go into sleep mode. "G'night mate." Wheatley said to the still awake Virgil- the other android didnt exactly sleep. The only one who really pressed him on it was Imani. But Wheatley figured it was personal, so he hadnt really brought it up.- "night Wheatley." Virgil said back.

 

Wheatley drifted off to sleep. Dreaming of a past he had forgotten and a woman he had fallen in love with. A sense of longing, betrayal, and hurt filled his being. Oh, how he wished he could have told her...


	6. Chapter 6

It had been 1 week since the celebration of Virgil and Wheatleys progress. A rather boring week, really. Filled with Chell baking, selling, and occasionally eating, the baked goods. while Wheatley watched on and admired her handy work. 

He really wanted to get to helping her again- but his form of 'baking' was really more... burning. Chell had even taken a shotgun to it. It seemed his baked goods were better for target practice than for consumption.  
Wheatley really just wanted to impress her again. So hear her say he did a good job or even smile in approval... then he could probably die happy. Well... maybe. Maybe. He still had a few things he would want to bring up before he died, like those strange dreams he kept having. Namely of a women who oddly enough resembled Chell. Probably a coincidence. Probably...

Virgil and Imani on the other hand, were making much better progress in their relationship. Virgil had tried to modify some of the tech in the household- being stopped by Imani because apparently a showerhead does not need to talk to you. Pft. But she did allow him to mess with the radio. Virgil very much enjoyed that little project. When he wasn't working on foxglove, he was working on her. Her being the radio. Imani thought it was sweet- and relaxing really. The sound of him tinkering never failed to ease her mind after a long day.

~________________________~

But little did the group know, this peace would not last for long. For deep underground... Glados was planning. She had grown absolutely sick of the two robots she now used to test. Atlas and Peabody. There was no consequences for them if they failed. No death, no punishment... they rarely even responded to her threats and discouragement. No. This would not do. She needed human test subjects... and she needed them now. Even if it was just those two brats Chell and Imani again. She would get those humans back. If it was the last thing she did.

~________________________~

"Oi! Virg!" Wheatley shouted Back at virgil to get his attention. The android looked up. They had been doing a bit of yard work with the girls- it was one of the only things Wheatley was trusted to do right. He couldn't *really* do any damage out here.

"Ah- can you er... help me plant these, mate?" Wheatley nodded down to the handful of flowers he had. Virgil looked to Imani, who nodded to go ahead and help him out. So he got up and jogged on over. "Ah, thanks-" Wheatley gave virgil some of the flowers. "Okay,I didnt really need your help." He said in a hushed tone.  
Virgil made a face. "Then why-" he was cut off by the ever talkative Wheatley.   
"I need to talk to you about.... ah... something. Personal." He stumbled about his explanation, looking from him to the girls- who were pulling out weeds.

Virgil gave him a knowing look, smirking. "Mmmm. This is about... love isnt it?" He asked, still giving a smirk to Wheatley. "Wh-what?! N-" it was wheatleys turn to be cut off.  
"You've come to the right man, Wheatley." Virgil patted his back. "I'm kind of an expert on this-"   
"No!" Wheatley shouted, dropping his flowers. The girls looked over to him- and Wheatley felt very embarrassed. He gave a sheepish grin before turning them both around to talk. 

"Listen mate," he began. "This-this isnt about... romance or... or love or any of that!" Wheatley explained hastily. Virgil cocked an eyebrow at him. "Then what, Wheatley?"  
He looked from side to side nervously. "I... I think I might be sick? Can robots get sick? I- I dunno. All I know is that I've been having... dreams. Yeah. Dreams- I didnt even know we could get those! Was not informed at all! And! And! I think-" Wheatley pointed to Chell, discretely. "Shes in them. But- but she looks just- just a little different... I mean, shes still as strong and as capable as ever with her ah... human wiles and such. Still got nice hair and- wait why are you laughing?" He stopped when virgil began to crack up.  
"Wheatley! This IS a love problem!" Wheatley looked....Confused to say the least. 

Virgil shook his head and put an arm around him. "You like Chell. You're more clumsy and nervous than usual when you're around her. Yeah?" He asked, and Wheatley nodded slightly. Virgil smiled and nodded along. "Yep. You like her. Congratulations." Virgil said with a laugh.

Wheatley paused "w-well what about you and Imani? You two are always super... chummy!" He tried to find the right words. Virgil stopped. "What do you mean?" He asked.  
Wheatley scoffed. "Virg. It's pretty obvious. You two are like... like bonnie and clyde!.... okay maybe not the best analogy. They are both dead. But you go together well, that's my point. She always seems more... relaxed when you..." he wiggled his fingers. "Do your thing. You know." Virgil was beginning to flush a bit. "What?" "You know. Tinker with the radio! And! Last week she fell asleep on you." Virgil raised his eyebrows. "That radio has a name! And you- you know humans get tired at dusk!"   
"Now look who's playing dumb!" Wheatley pointed at him.

~________________________~

"What do you think they're arguing about?" Imani asked. Chell stopped pulling weeds to look from the boys, to imani. "... I dont know." She stared at the two for another moment longer.  
"... do you think theyll remember that we need those flowers?" She asked, and Chell chuckled. "I'd give it another 5 minutes before we remind them."   
Imani laughed a little. "Great. I need a break anyway." She sat back on the ground, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm. Chell did the same, sitting back on her shins- shifting towards the shade.

"...so. you and Virgil." Chell said first. It was easy for her to notice how close the two had grown over the time they had been there. Imani blushed slightly- though that also could have just been from being out in the sun. "Y-yeah? What about us?" She asked. Chell shrugged, smiling slightly. "Its cute. You two."  
"W-.... Chell we're not-" Chell shook her head, dismissing her. "You both work well together. You... bring him back down to earth. And... he keeps you more level-headed. Its sweet." This was the most Chell had really spoken in one go. Imani was suprised, raising her eyebrows. Now she was definitely blushing. Smiling, Imani looked away for a moment. "You think?" Chell nodded. Imani considered this- speaking out about her emotions, saying something or him saying something. Being something... more. But only for a moment. She shook her head and looked back to the boys,who were still arguing.   
"Hey! We kinda need those flowers over here!" Imani called to them.

"Oi! Sorry! Be there in a jiffy!" Wheatley called back.

Chell smiled to herself, now watching the boys scramble to pick up flowers and bring them over. But now it faded... how long would this last?


	7. Not a chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Update

This is just a little update... I am currently having a bit of health issues at the moment. Nothing too serious but it will last a few weeks, so I apologize in advance. But as soon as I'm feeling better I will update immediately! Be sure to let me know if theres anything I could improve on or mistakes I should fix... etc. I'm always happy to hear from you guys!


	8. Wheatley has an existential crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its exactly what the title says

It had been 2 weeks since the last time virgil and Wheatley had felt that they had made any progress at all on foxglove. And two weeks since Wheatley himself felt as if he were doing anything right. On top of it all, he kept having disturbing visions. Or perhaps dreams. If robots could dream. It reminded him of that old book "do androids dream of robotic sheep" or something along the lines of that. All he knew was that with each passing night, the dreams began to twist and turn darker. It had started sweet. A first person veiw of a man he knew too well, working at his human job with a bunch of other humans. Simple. But then a human woman came along. Wheatley felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest just thinking about it- that is, if he had a heart. He even started rooting for the guy, this protagonist after the girls heart. He so desperately wanted the happily ever after for this human... but somehow he knew it would never come to fruition. As the weeks and nights pressed on, his dreams grew more sinister. He- this man- was being ridiculed and slowly lead to a fate worse than death. A blank slate. An empty shell. A new beginning. Belittled and undermined. His dreams outraged him. He was broken hearted and wanted to scream and cry in the most violent way. All those feelings in his dream were too real. Too real to not be his own. "No. No." He muttered to himself. "I'm not him. I'm not human thats... that's not me!" He hissed to himself. But little did Wheatley know, that someone else was having similar awakenings. Chell. His companion, the strongest woman Wheatley had ever seen in his life... was having doubts. One night, on a particularly bad night, she had found Wheatley thrashing about from a dream... when she curiously plugged his lead into the beat up old laptop, chell almost had a heart attack. What she heard.... what she saw.... her hypothesis was proven correct. The snippets of dreams she had of cooking bagles.. smiles and laughs exchanged.. it was real. And it was all her. Her memories her past... she couldn't tear herself away no matter how hard she tried... which is why she had come back the next night and the night after that. Only to get caught by a heart broken Wheatley. Storming off, waking the whole house up in the process. Virgil of course had gone after him, but it made little difference. Wheatley was blind with anxiety, rage and uncertainty. He had to get rid of his dreams. Whatever this was it was NOT him! It couldn't be! He refused to believe he had that life!

When the boys reached Garrett's, wheatley yelled out an explanation, a muddled and turned about one, about dreams and being human and "I cant be human! I refuse! I couldn't have had a life!" He yelled. When in reality... wheatley was just scared of all he had left behind. Finding the truth. Being told everything was just... gone. In the end... virgil had to explain it all to Garrett. Who took pitty on the two tired androids and fixed them a drink. (Well, not exactly. More like programmed them one. Wheatleys a lightweight long story short.) Throughout the night Wheatley tried to convince Garrett to erase his entire harddrive. Wipe it out. No more human memories. No more dreams. Nothing. Just... Wheatley. But the drunker they got(mostly Wheatley) the more the argument faded. Garrett and Virgil had managed to calm him down. And even praise Wheatley on having that human side to him. It's what made him him. Convincing him to go home in the morning with virgil and try to sort things out. To a very drunk Wheatley... it sounded like a plan. Yeah... talking to the very pretty Chell. Always good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Chell remembers a thing


	9. Chell remembers a thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imani cameo

Over the weeks that Chell and Imani had rescued the boys, they had all grown closer. Wheatley had learned to be more human, and Imani and Virgil grew all the more closer. Chell on the other hand... well. She had mixed feelings about her counter part.  
They

had a very on again off again relationship. On; 'let's help each other and be friends' and off; 'I'm going to kill you and or leave you to die! Bye!' Which... was mostly wheatleys fault. But he was doing good this time. He hadn't actually stabbed her in the back or brought danger to her home... things were going good up until that fateful night. A human summers night filled with stars and fireflies, an android tossed and turned, his face contorted with fear and confusion. Chell had woken up from the clumsy mans antics and saw the distressed Wheatley.

... maybe she should have tried to wake him up. Maybe she should have just left him alone. But with that mention of dreams a few mornings ago... her curiousity got the better of her for once. Hooking the android to the computer on the coffee table next to him with the lead. What she saw unfold before her eyes shook her to her very core.

The first person veiw of a man, looking down at his shakey hands, with damp paper in one hand and a small napkin in the other. He seemed to be stuttering and mumbling to someone- a woman it seemed- who was listening patiently. Her hands moving into veiw to hand him his baked good- a bagel- which made the man look up. Chell felt like she was going to throw up.  
Standing in front of the man was a tanned skin woman with dark hair, a young face, and smart but comfortable clothing.  
Chell stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Not registering any words the man had to say.  
The woman was....

Wheatley began to stir once more. That's when Chell finally snapped out of it, gently pulling the lead out of the back of his neck and shutting the laptop, sliding it under the couch with the lead. With amazing speed, Chell ducked behind the back of the couch as the lanky, bleary-eyed android sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. He didnt remember much of the dream he had... something about baked goods and...

His thoughts were interrupted by a squeaky step. He looked towards the staircass, but saw nothing. Slowly he lied back down with a sigh. But not before noticing the gleaming Jack of the lead sticking out from under the couch....

Upstairs, Chell had made it to her room, her chest heaving and her heart beating fast. As she turned around however, she noticed Imani- sitting next to her bed. Imani probably would have sat at a desk and turned around dramatically, but Chells room was very lacking in desks.  
Imani said nothing, but patted the bed next to her. Chell immediately came over and sat down. "Hey... what was that?" Imani asked gently.  
"...." Chell said nothing for a moment, just resting her head on Imanis shoulder. "... I saw something.." she said, her voice beginning to waver as she trailed off.

"What? Something outside-" Imani was cut off. "No." Chell said firmly. ".... I remember... something... Wheatley... I-" a single tear managed to escape the strong grey eyes. Imani gently stroked her hair, nodding. After years and years of knowing each other, they learned to communicate with little to no words. "Okay.. you dont have to talk about it." She assured Chell, leaning her own head on Chells. It was silent for a while, time passed as Chell contemplated what she had seen, trying to remember more. Anything. Find out why Wheatley had memories of her, and why she hadn't remembered sooner. She would find out more. She swore she would. "Thank you..." Chell told Imani, as the two girls fell asleep in each others arms. Having comfort knowing that the other was there for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real story progress is made next chapter I promise!


	10. Wheatleys talk show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally start to happen.... maybe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will say AGAIN if you have NOT read blue sky I really reccomend you do that because this is where things get really plot heavy and much more based on its story. I'm not going to explain or show every detail because blue sky already did it perfectly there and it would be redundant if I did so. So... you have been warned.

It was a warm August evening, the day they foxglove was nearing completion. Chell was at home, working hard on something. Something she hadn't made in a very long time. It almost felt foriegn to her but at the same time... like an old friend finally returning home. It took a few tries, but she finally got it, putting it into the oven to bake.

 

Imani had been out most of the day, getting a few things for the bakery 

. A few residents of the town had stopped to say hello to her. Smiling and waving as she passed. Everyone had been pretty excited for this evening. Foxgloves grand debut. Virgil and Wheatley had been working with Garrett on that thing for nearly a month! Truth be told, foxglove had been in commission for much longer than a month. But now... it was finally time. Imani was excited, but at the same time... almost... nervous? Everything had been going so well. Virgil and Wheatley were adjusting. Just last week virgil had been helping her on a personal art project. He was a great assistant.

she couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same...

By the time both the girls had finished up, the sun had said its goodbyes. The warm night seeping into the planes of Eden. Foxglove stood out like a magnificent torch in the night, blinking for all to see. In ottensfield stood all of the townspeople. From little Ellie, to Romy and her kids. Everyone had brought chairs or blankets and plenty of food to eat. And while they were all excited, they knew not to get their Hope's up. Foxglove had been in commison for a long time. It seemed like there was no end in sight. But with the arrival of one scarecrow of a man, and a bit of an odd looking mechanic, their Hope's were re-egnighted.

Wheatley trembled in his metaphorical boots. Garret typing away on his computer while Virgil hooked his friend up to the machine. "And, yer sure this'll work? I mean,... I have to be the one to do this?" He asked.  
"We ran all the numbers... she just needs a little nudge to get goin' that's all!" Garrett assured him.  
"Yeah. And you're the least threatening android here. You'll do great, Wheat." Virgil patted the blonde on the back with a little smile. Wheatley gave a shakey one back. "...alright. wait- wait, I just thought of something-- having a... you know, a wire... coming out of my neck- yeah, no not really a... a human trait? If I go down there they're definitely going to notice that. Might want to re-evaluate our pla-" Virgil shoved the pair of noise protecting headphones. One he used at a firing range with Chell. "Yeah, Chell thought'a that." Garrett said with a smirk. "She dropped those off. They should be pretty convincing." Virgil said with a nod. Wheatley put them on and took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay." He saix to himself. "You ready Wheatley?" Garrett asked. "yeah. Beam me up scot-YYYYYY" Virgil connected him to foxglove. Wheatley felt a surge of power almost immediately. Even if it seemed like she wasn't even fully responding.

"AH- So LOUD-- Who's screaming?? Oh-- I, yeah I see. It's me. Ah- ha. Sorry. Sorry." Wheatley said sheepishly to the crowd.

"So... ah... what is this we're doing? Sorry? Yeah, you're going to have to speak up, mate, I've got these ear things on. Broadcasting? Right, well, we are still working out the kinks in the whole broadcasting... thing, just trying to make it as- well, as broad as possible, I would imagine. I mean, we don't want to start narrowcasting by accident, or just sort of average-widthcasting, ha, no, we want to turn it straight up to eleven, right out the gate. Cast this baby as broad as possible, that's the plan... " he moved his feet idly around the small platform he stood on. Now looking down at the crowd to see Chell and Imani. Both seeming to be shaking with laughter. But it was Chell he really focused on. He couldnt tell if she was laughing AT or WITH him, but right then, it didnt matter. It was.... beautiful.

"I wouldnt normally say this but by all means, keep talking, Wheatley!" Virgil yelled over to him. "Yeah! We're gonna see If the people in the next city over are gettin' this!" Garrett added. "Oh-- okay. Something to talk about something to-- OH! I know!"  
And that's what started Wheatley talking all about one mans massive vegetable(no. That is not a euphemism) He was so suprised. People that were not standing there, in that field currently, could hear him! It was absolutely astounding. He couldnt believe it. Virgil and Garrett ran the numbers and called local cities and towns. Verifying their reach. But soon, Virgil was able to briefly Join the girls on the ground, jumping onto a leg of foxglove and sliding gracefully down to Imani. They both broke out into a grin, laughing and hugging. Virgil,in all his excitement, even managed to pick up Imani and spin her around. Which- made Imani flush. Virgil of course was semi- oblivious to this.

"Imani! Can you believe this! Everything we've worked towards-" Virgil said excitedly, gesturing from her to foxglove. Imani couldn't help but laugh and smile. "I'm so proud of you guys!" She said honestly. "You've worked so hard on this... its... amazing!" She told him with a smile. Virgil hugged her again- but felt his face begin to flush. Another malfunction? Malware? Was he over heating?? He pulled away too soon. Imani smiled sheepishly back at him, virgil rubbing the back of his neck. It felt like they were really hanging out... seeing each other at their best and happiest.

Meanwhile, Wheatley kept on talking about anything and everything. Waving his hands as he spoke. Gesturing wildly. The crowd was enraptured by his antics. Laughing and smiling and clapping. He seemed to be a crowd favorite. But really, the only persons opinion he really cared about... was hers. Chell. She was happy and proud... to Wheatley she looked simply ethereal. An amazing and strong being feuling his confidence. Feeling like for the first time in a long time they were really, finally, in synch.

 

 

But somewhere... deep deep underground... the robots of Aperture science... heard a familiar... _annoying voice..._


	11. Update, will be deleted when I update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hrm

I swear I'm going to finish this, I just have no idea how I want it to go atm please bear with me hhhh


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